A Second Chance
by vknggirl
Summary: The aftermath immediately following where Penelope left off.Pairings: MorganGarcia and maybe JJReid if I continue on. Lots of fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**A Second Chance**

The aftermath immediately following where "Penelope" left off.

Pairings: MorganGarcia and maybe JJReid if I continue on.

**I do not own Criminal Minds, any of the characters, or anything related to the episodes.**

"I, uh, I think you're amazing," Kevin stammered, blushing ferociously. Garcia began laughing which made his face turn a deeper shade of red.

Morgan watched them from across the room and felt a wave of jealousy come over him. He immediately crossed the room and put his arm around Garcia.

"Let's go home baby girl," he whispered into her ear with a smile.

Kevin looked at Morgan and then back at Penelope. He felt Morgan's stare, but still could not take his eyes off her. She was smiling back at him until Morgan began nuzzling his face into her neck and pulled her tight against him. Only then did her smile and attention turn to Morgan.

"I'm ready sweet cheeks," she replied to Morgan with a wink. "It was great meeting you Kevin. I hope to see you around." She turned and walked out slowly with Morgan's arm around her waist. Kevin didn't move until they were on the elevator and out of sight. Only then did he realize he had been holding his breath as he watched her walk away. He let out a loud sigh and with a smile, whispered her name to himself.

"Penelope."

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Morgan helped her slowly walk up the stairs to her apartment. She was trying to hide a grimace of pain which was becoming more obvious with each step. He followed her into her apartment and she gingerly lowered herself onto the couch.

Morgan knelt down next to the couch and placed his hands around her face.

"Do you want me to stay," he asked, slowly caressing the sides of her face.

"No honey, I'm fine now. There is nothing to worry about. You go home and get some sleep," she replied.

"Do you **want** me to stay," he asked again. Morgan was looking at her with an intensity she had never seen before. She was about to question his serious expression when he leaned forward and kissed her very softly on the lips, lingering just a second longer than appropriate and looked into her eyes. He could see confusion and questions in her expression.

"Derek -" she began to say. He immediately kissed her again, this time more deeply and with a passion she had never before felt in a kiss. She returned the intensity and pulled him closer to her. He was kneeling on the floor next to the couch and slowly lifted himself off the floor and positioned himself on top of her. She let out a small cry and he jumped up, realizing that he had put pressure directly on her wound.

"I'm sorry baby, are you OK," he asked, his face filled with worry. Garcia suddenly had a strange look on her face and turned away from him.

"I'm fine. I think you should leave now," she responded without looking back at him.

"Baby, I'm sorry. Was I moving too fast, are you OK? Talk to me baby girl," he said with worry, trying to pull her to face him.

"I don't need your sympathy," she shouted, jerking away from him. "I'm not mad anymore. You were right about the date all along. I should have listened to you. But I do not need your sympathy and guilty kisses."

Morgan took a step back, now understanding what she thought had happened. She believed that he only kissed her because he felt guilty and sorry for her. He ran his hand over his head and walked back to her.

"Mama, I've wanted to do that for a very long time," he explained. "I've had a million excuses ranging from being too good of friends, working together, not wanting a relationship, my list could go on and on. But I was really just worried that if we started something it would be real and true, and I wasn't sure if either of us were ready for that type of commitment." She turned back to look at him and he could see tears in her eyes. "Baby girl, don't cry," he whispered while gently wiping a tear off her cheek. "Before I got the call that you were in the hospital I was in church, praying for guidance. I wanted God to prove to me that He was real and help me find my path in life," he said as he paced back and forth in front of the couch. "I've been angry with God for a very long time and wasn't a very pleasant conversation," he said with a smirk. "But I was sitting in that church, asking for help, and every time I closed my eyes all I could see was your smiling face. I knew at that moment that God had given me my answer. I needed to tell you how I feel about you. So I walked out of the church, determined to pound on your door until you let me in and confess my feelings to you. Instead I received the message that you were in the hospital, and at that moment I thought my life was over."

Garcia sat up very slowly, holding her wound with her hand. He hated watching her in pain and knelt on the floor in front of her.

"So you didn't kiss me just because you felt guilty about everything that happened," she asked quietly.

Morgan gently pushed her hair out of her face and stared intently into her eyes. "No baby girl, I kissed you because I'm in love with you," he said with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Morgan sauntered into the office with his typical confident style. Emily and Reid were already busy at work but both looked up with friendly smiles as he entered. Only Reid noticed he was in an exceptionally cheerful mood considering all that had happened over the past few days. 

"You seem quite happy today," Reid mused while looking at Morgan over his coffee cup.

"It's a pretty good day kid," Morgan replied with a smile.

They all turned as JJ walked in, looking nervous and unsure. She glanced over at the missing window and quickly looked away. It had been less than 24 hours since she shot through the glass and killed Garcia's attacker and she was obviously still shaken up.

"Why don't you go check on her," Emily asked Reid as she saw his gaze follow her into her office. Reid stood up slowly and walked her direction.

Just then, Kevin walked in and shot an annoyed look at Morgan before he walked into Garcia's office. Morgan sat at his desk for a moment, slowly turning back and forth in his chair. Finally he stood up and walked confidently to Garcia's door. Kevin was just settling in at her computers.

"I'm SSA Derek Morgan," he said holding out his hand. "Thank you for your help with Penelope's situation. We really appreciated it."

"Sure, not a problem. She is really good. As soon as I saw her setup I knew she was a cool girl," replied Kevin.

"Oh she is the best," Morgan said with a knowing look and walked out of the room with a smile.

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"JJ, are you OK," Reid asked as he slowly walked into her office.

"I'm fine Spence," she said with a smile just a little too bright and a little too cheery, "how are you doing today?"

Reid gave her a slight smile and sat down across from her. "You don't always have to be so brave JJ. We are all affected by situations. It's normal that you are upset after shooting someone. That's what separates us from them," he said with a smile. "I'm here to listen if you need to talk. I may not be as good at this as Gideon, but I am always here for you," he said nervously as he picked at the bottom of his sweater.

JJ stood up and slowly walked over to him. "Thanks Spence. I don't really feel like talking right now, but I could use a hug," she said with a small smile.

He stood up and gingerly put his arms around her as she laid her head on his shoulder. She sighed as he gently stroked her hair. She felt relaxed and happy for about five seconds until her cell phone and pager sounded simultaneously and they broke their embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

"JJ had a family emergency and will be out of the office for a few weeks," Hotch stated as the team all looked around the table at one another.

"Is she OK, what's going on," Emily asked.

"JJ is fine, but her mother is ill. She asked that we respect her privacy during this time and she will be back as soon as she can," Hotch answered. "In the meantime, Emily, David and I will be traveling to Seattle to run the training seminar we were all supposed to manage last week," he said and began to walk out of the room.

Reid looked over at Morgan with surprise. Morgan shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had no idea what was going on.

"Wait, Hotch, what about Morgan and I," Reid called out.

"Morgan and Reid will stay here and make sure Garcia doesn't try to sneak back to work. She needs to stay out the entire week and rest. Kevin Lynch is here to fill in while she is out. You will also take over some of JJ's duties in looking over cases. If anything jumps out at you or an emergency arises give us a call. Reid, you could also use this opportunity to catch up on your paperwork," he said with a pointed look and walked out of the room.

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"Morgan was sitting in his chair, slowly turning back and forth and watching Reid nervously play with a pencil as he left JJ another message.

"JJ, its Spencer. Give me a call please. I want to make sure you're alright."

"She still isn't answering," he said and looked over at Morgan. "I hope everything is OK. She is already in a fragile state after the shooting yesterday, and –"

"Reid, calm down. I'm sure JJ is fine. She's probably busy with her family. She'll call you back if she needs you man," Morgan said with a grin. He knew his friend had feelings for JJ deeper than he was willing to admit and it was amusing to see him get all worked up.

Just then Reid's phone rang and he sprang to his feet.

"See, I told you," Morgan said smiling.

Reid walked out of the room to take the call and Morgan picked up his phone and rotated it in his hand, contemplating making a call. Suddenly he jumped out of his chair as Garcia slowly crept through the door, trying to sneak by without being noticed.

"Garcia," he shouted from across the room. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home resting," he said with annoyance as he crossed the room toward her.

She had a look of panic on her face as she realized she had been busted. She glanced into her office and saw Kevin turning her monitors and a mess of wrappers strewn around the room.

"What do you think you're doing in here," she screeched. She threw her hands in the air and one hand immediate shot back down to her side as she grimaced with pain. Morgan was already by her side with his arm around her, leading her away from the office.

"Baby girl, be careful, don't get yourself all worked up," he said quietly. "Kevin is just fine in there, you need to go home and take it easy."

"Take it easy, how am I supposed to take it easy when he is in there messing things up," she yelled back in the direction of her office.

Morgan led her to his desk and gently pushed her down into his chair. He let out a loud sigh and looked at her with a wide smile. "Relax," he said.

Kevin came running out of the office and up to Morgan's desk. He was already blushing as he approached her.

"Hi Penelope, it's wonderful to see you," he said with enthusiasm. "I'm sorry about your office; I promise everything will be exactly how you had it by the time you get back to work."

"No, no no, you stay out of my office," she said with annoyance. "I'm feeling great and ready to come back to work today. And look, I'm already here, so you can leave now!"

"No, no baby girl. I'm taking you home right now. You need your rest," Morgan said firmly. "Wait, how did you get here," he asked.

Kevin was looking at her with amusement and Morgan with frustration, his arms crossed in front of him. Garcia looked down and mumbled something they couldn't understand.

"What," both Kevin and Morgan asked at the same time.

"The metro," she said quietly. "I tried to drive but steering was too painful so I took the train." She looked up at Morgan with nervous eyes and his frustrated expression made her immediately look back down.

"I'm taking you home right now," he turned and looked over at Kevin. "She's going to be out the rest of the week man. Thanks for your help."

Garcia opened her mouth, ready to protest until she saw the expression on Morgan's face and shut her mouth without saying a word.

Kevin smiled at her as she walked away and shook his head with amusement.

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Morgan and Garcia were walking through the parking garage to his car when he stopped and turned around to her.

"Baby, I'm going to stay home with you the rest of the day and take care of you. You need to take it easy and I'm afraid you're going to go jump a plane somewhere if I leave you alone again," Morgan said while shooting her an annoyed look.

"I just feel so useless at home. I should be helping the team," she said quietly.

Morgan put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Baby girl, I need you to take care of yourself so we can get you healthy as quickly as possible," he whispered.

"Oh yeah sweet cheeks," she said with a smirk. "Are you sick of waiting already?"

"Oh I would wait for you forever if I had to, but I'm hoping you'll toss me a bone here and get back to prime form quickly as possible," he said right before he leaned in and kissed her. He pulled her as close to him as possible, running his fingers through her hair as he kissed her.

"Somebody is going to catch us hot stuff," she said breathlessly as she tried to pull away from him. "There are cameras all over this place."

"Let them catch us," he growled as he pulled her back into the kiss.

Suddenly the side door burst open and Kevin appeared holding her purse. At the sound of the door opening they jumped away from each other and looked at a shocked Kevin staring at them.

"I, um, I, uh," he stammered. His face was red and he was out of breath as if he had been running to catch her. "Your purse," he finally blurted out and tossed the purse at them as he ran back to the door and disappeared.

"Oh no," Garcia said quietly. "I think he liked me."

Morgan walked over and picked up her purse. "Don't worry momma, I'll talk to him. Now let's get you home so I can take care of you," Morgan said as he led her to the car.

Garcia looked back at where Kevin had been standing before letting Morgan take her to the car.


	4. Chapter 4

Reid stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before finally working up the nerve to knock. He was fiddling nervously with his hands behind his back when a red, puffy eyed JJ opened the door.

"Thanks for coming," she whispered as she let him into her apartment.

Reid had never been to her apartment before and was impressed by the tasteful decoration and beautiful view. He was about to comment on it when he realized she was still standing by the door crying.

"Oh JJ," he said softly and walked over to her. He pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried. She smelled so good and it felt wonderful holding her. _Stop it! You're here to comfort her, not hit on her_, he told himself. But he couldn't help taking pleasure in the fact that he was the one comforting her, holding her, in her time of need.

"I'm sorry Spence," she cried. "I hate being like this, I hate being out of control, but right now I feel like my entire life is out of control," she sobbed as he held her tightly against him.

He held her for a few minutes and then slowly pulled away, gently lifting her chin to look into her eyes. "What can I do for you JJ," he asked, noticing a suitcase sitting near the door. "How are you getting back to Pennsylvania? I don't think you are in any condition to drive, would you like me to take you," he asked gently.

She looked surprised by the offer and immediately shook her head no. She pulled him toward her and snuggled back into his embrace for a moment and thought about his offer. _Let him help you. There is nothing wrong with letting someone help you_, she thought to herself.

"Thank you Spence, I would really appreciate it if you would drive me home," she said tearfully. She felt so comfortable with him was already feeling slightly better. She pulled away slowly from his embrace and moved over to the couch, motioning for him to sit next to her. He followed her lead obediently and blushed as his knee rubbed against hers as he sat down.

"I know I wasn't making much sense when I spoke to you earlier, but my mother isn't doing well. She has been taking chemotherapy for a few months and we thought she was getting better, but now here kidneys are failing," she whispered. She looked over at Reid with sad eyes and he instinctively picked up her hand and kissed it. As soon as he realized what he had done he dropped her hand and blushed, causing her to laugh. She reached over and picked his hand up, interweaving their fingers and placed it in her lap. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Reid started nervously fidgeting with his free hand and looking around.

"JJ, are you packed, do you need me to help you get ready to go," he questioned. She looked confused so he pointed at the suitcase.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'm ready to go."

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Two hours later she was sleeping soundly in the front seat of his car. He couldn't stop looking over at her, noticing how peaceful she looked. She was so beautiful, even with red, puffy eyes.

He felt his phone vibrate and checked the caller ID before answering.

"Hotch," he said into the phone. "I'm sorry, but JJ was in no shape to get herself home, so I'm driving her to Pennsylvania," he said hurriedly. "I can be back in the office tomorrow."

"Stay with her as long as she needs you Reid," Hotchner replied. "She's going through a lot right now and if she needs you to stay a few days I'm sure Morgan can manage back at the office."

"Thanks sir," Reid said and closed the phone. He had no idea of JJ wanted him to stay even one night, but he was happy to have the permission to stay if she needed him.

JJ sat up, obviously startled, and looked over at him with a confused look on her face. "What's wrong," she asked him.

"Everything is fine JJ," he replied. "I was just talking to Hotch and I let him know I am taking you home."

"Was he mad," she asked with tears forming again in her eyes.

"Not at all," he answered while reaching over and taking her hand. "Everything is going to be fine."

"Thank you Spence," she said and leaned over and kissed him softly on the check.


	5. Chapter 5

Morgan was awakened by shattered glass and Garcia's scream. She was sitting up in the bed with the same expression she wore the night Jason Clark Battle came to her apartment trying to finish what he had started. Morgan instinctively pushed her back down onto his bed. She was shaking as he put one finger over his lips telling her to be quiet. He grabbed his gun off the nightstand and slowly walked around the corner and out of her sight. _Why can't this end_, she asked herself silently. She felt a wave of panic move over her and she felt like she needed to hide. She pulled the blanket over her head, curled into fetal position, and began to quietly cry.

"Somebody threw this through my window baby girl, that's all it was," Morgan announced in an annoyed tone a few minutes later. "Nothing serious, but I know it was really bad timing," he said quietly. She jumped up and saw him standing in the doorway, gun lowered, with a large rock in his hand. He then held up a note which read **GO TO HELL ASSHOLE** written in red lipstick.

"I'm guessing this didn't have anything to do with you," he said. She was still shaking as he sat down on the bed and motioned for her to sit back down. "We're going to be OK baby girl," he whispered as he pulled her into his lap. "Everything is going to be fine and I am going to take care of you. I promise I'm not going to let anyone ever hurt you again." She snuggled her head into his neck and began to relax. After a few moments and several deep breaths, she looked to be handing the situation pretty well.

"Most likely some girl who expected more than just one night," Garcia said with one eyebrow raised obviously looking for an explanation and gesturing toward the note.

"It's possible," he mumbled giving her a sheepish grin. Garcia's other eyebrow shot up at his response. "You stay in here, I'm going to clean up the mess. And don't worry about other girls. I love you, and only you. I promise I won't be breaking any more hearts," he said with a grin and returned to his mess.

She flopped back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment. She was in Derek Morgan's bed and once again he had told her that he loves her! It seemed so unbelievable that this was happening. He was her dream guy; the unattainable hunk who she never believed would return her feelings. She smiled and decided to go out and give him a hand.

As she walked into the living room she gasped at the sight of Morgan sweeping up glass in only his boxer briefs. He looked amazing, of course, but there was something incredibly sexy about seeing him doing a domestic chore like sweeping. He looked up at her and saw the look of lust in her eyes. His dark eyes matched her intensity, and he dropped the broom. Before she knew what was happening his mouth was on hers and he lifted her up off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her back to the bedroom.

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Morgan walked into the office and was surprised not to see Reid. He flopped down hard in his chair and let out a big yawn. He was exhausted from the late night window shattering and cleaning. He smiled to himself as he realized he only blamed his lack of sleep on the window, _it couldn't be from the late night lovemaking_, he chuckled to himself.

Suddenly his phone rang. Caller ID indicated it was Reid so he answered with annoyance. "Get your butt in here now kid. You're late."

"Um, Morgan, I'm not going to be coming in today," Reid said slowly. Morgan could tell that Reid was covering the phone and talking to someone else. "Actually," he continued a moment later, "I'm not going to be in the rest of the week. I am in Pennsylvania with JJ," he said apprehensively.

"Oh, I get it," Morgan said teasingly. "You take care of your girl Reid, I can hold down the fort here. And Reid," he continued, his tone suddenly serious, "tell JJ we're thinking about her."

"Um, thanks Morgan. I'll see you next week," Reid stammered. Morgan laughed because even over the telephone he could tell Reid was blushing.  



	6. Chapter 6

"Thank you," JJ whispered as Reid hung up the phone. "Having you here makes me feel so much better."

"I am here as long as you need me JJ," Reid smiled. He knew she was in a very bad place emotionally. She was still in shock after the shooting two days before, and now she was about to say goodbye to her mother. "Are you ready to head to the hospital," he asked.

"Yes," JJ said quietly, looking around the room. They had arrived at her parent's house late the night before and the house was dark. Rather than disturbing her father's much needed sleep JJ had decided to check in at a nearby hotel. Separate rooms, of course, but it still made her feel better knowing Reid was only one door away as she slept.

She was interrupted from her daydreaming by her cell phone ringing.

"Hello Dad. I'm here and getting ready to head to the hospital right now," she said breathlessly. Reid watched her listening to her father on the other end of the phone and suddenly the expression on her face turned hard and she stared straight forward. "That's fine," she said coldly. "But you might want to let him know that I'm not alone," she said glancing over at Reid. "My boyfriend is with me," she finished staring at Reid while his jaw dropped open.

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JJ and Reid walked into the lobby of the hospital and JJ turned to face an obviously nervous Reid.

"I'm sorry again about this, but with all that is happening I just can't deal with my ex-boyfriend trying to get back together," she tried to explain. "After four years of dating he understandably became close to my entire family. He was devastated when I broke up with him and joined the FBI," she said looking down at the ground. "I know he loves my mother but I am pretty sure he wouldn't sit at her deathbed if there weren't ulterior motives…and I am guessing that getting back together with me is that motive," she explained.

"But JJ," Reid said quietly, "I don't think lying to your mother right before she dies is what you really want," he said looking at the ground. He was kicking a rock with his foot and obviously very nervous.

"Then let's not make it a lie," she whispered looking up at him. He was staring at her with amazement, trying to let what she said sink in when she stood on her toes and gave him a very soft kiss. Reid put his arms around her and kissed her back with an intensity she hadn't expected. He pulled her tight against him and kissed her with passion that seemed impossible coming from Spencer Reid. After a moment he pulled away and looked straight into her eyes. He was breathless and his cheeks were pink.

"JJ, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that," he eyes pleading for forgiveness. "You are vulnerable and I know that. I shouldn't have kissed you back. I am taking advantage," he said with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Spence," she interrupted him placing her finger on his lips to stop him from talking, "I've wanted to do that for a long time - long before any of this happened. I agree it probably isn't the best timing to start a relationship, but let's not rule anything out either," she said with a smile. It was the first genuine smile he had seen from her since before Garcia was shot and it gave him a tiny sliver of hope that maybe she really meant what she was saying. "So we won't be lying to my mother. It's all true, we're seeing what happens," she said softly.

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JJ and Reid walked into her mother's room hand in hand. JJ and her mother immediately locked eyes and JJ rushed to her side and took her hand.

"Mom," JJ whispered. "How are you feeling," she asked.

"I'm OK sweetie," her mother said groggily. "But I've seen better days," she laughed. Her mother then looked past JJ and saw a nervous Spencer Reid standing behind her. "Hello there," she said to Spencer with a smile.

"Um, hello Mrs. Jareau," Reid said nervously. He took a step forward to approach her bed when he was almost knocked down by two men walking into the room with large boxes.

"Sorry dude," the younger man said without looking at Reid. JJ moved over to Reid's side and took his hand. The men put the boxes down on a small table and turned back to JJ and Reid.

"I would like you all to meet **Dr.** Spencer Reid," JJ said, obviously stressing the title. The older man stepped forward with a warm smile and introduced himself as JJ's father.

"Dr. Reid, it's a pleasure to meet you," he smiled. "JJ has told me much about you," he said warmly as Reid shot a surprised look at JJ.

"Um, you can call me Spencer. It's nice to meet you too sir," Reid replied stumbling over his words.

"And I'm Jimmy Epperling," the younger man announced confidently as he stepped forward. He stood at least six foot five and was broad shouldered. His blonde hair matched JJ's and Reid couldn't help but think they made a better looking couple than he and JJ ever would. He shook Reid's hand with such pressure it made Reid wince. JJ shot Jimmy a look and he let go of Reid's hand quickly, putting his hands in the air. "Sorry man, I didn't mean to hurt you," he said with a smirk.

Reid looked nervously over at JJ who smiled and squeezed his other hand softly. She then led him over to her mother's bed and smiled, content knowing that her mother had met the man she truly loved. 


	7. Chapter 7

Morgan had lost track of time and was buried in case files. The office was so quiet that he almost jumped out of his seat when he heard a door close. He looked up and saw a very defeated and tired looking Kevin Lynch walking out of Garcia's office. 

"Hey man," Morgan said, approaching the tech, "Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. I know that you like Garcia, and I knew that before yesterday. I would have said something but…her and I, well…it's all really new and I wasn't sure what to say. No hard feelings man," Morgan finished with his hand outstretched.

Kevin gave him a weak handshake and refused to make eye contact. "No worries," he replied and started to walk away.

"Wait, Kevin. There's one other thing. Garcia and I aren't exactly publicizing this relationship. Working together, being on the same team, it could cause some issues. We would appreciate your discretion man," Morgan said in a serious tone.

"Whatever," Kevin sounded dejected and walked out the door.

Morgan walked back to his desk and sat down, surprised at how upset Kevin had seemed after only meeting Garcia one time. "Strange dude, but he'll get over it. At least he won't be throwing any rocks through windows," he chuckled aloud and went back to his case files.

Kevin had walked out of the office and was waiting at the elevators. He was angry. Angry with Penelope for being involved with someone who was obviously a player, angry with himself for thinking he had a chance with her, but mostly angry with Morgan for doing what every other smooth, handsome man had always done – he stole his girl.

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Garcia thanked the repairman as he left Morgan's apartment. Derek had seemed so tired this morning she knew that he would forget about calling in for a glass repair as soon as he left, so she did it for him. It was such a basic, normal thing to do, but it felt like something a real girlfriend would do for her boyfriend, and that made her happy.

She sat down on the couch and picked up a magazine on the coffee table. She flipped through it for about five seconds and threw it back down, obviously bored. She picked up the telephone, about to give Derek a call, when her phone began to ring.

"I was just thinking about calling you hot stuff," she said into the phone.

"Mmmm, I was missing you momma," he growled back. He was the only person in the office so he felt comfortable talking to her on speakerphone. He was leaning back in his chair, feet on his desk, and smiling at the sound of her voice.

"Missing me," she questioned, "I don't think you could have handled any more of me after last night," she joked.

"I could never get enough of you baby," he replied. "And last night was pretty fantastic," Morgan heard a noise and turned to see Kevin Lynch back in the office, holding a sack lunch. His face was red and he had obviously heard enough of the conversation to feel even more hurt.

"Shit," Morgan said aloud and snapped the phone off speakerphone. Kevin glared at him and locked himself in Garcia's office.

"What's wrong sexy," Garcia questioned.

"Oh, nothing baby, don't worry about it," Morgan said as he glanced back to her office. "I need to get back to work girl. I just wanted to check on you. I'll call you later, OK."

"I love you Derek," she said quietly.

"I love you too baby girl," he replied with a smile.

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Kevin was fuming as he sat in Penelope's office. Why was Derek Morgan messing with him? Talking to Penelope loudly about their sex life, knowing he could be right around the corner! He was trying to get Kevin upset, rub it in that he had stolen away his girl.

Kevin clenched his jaw and stared at the ground. _You will be sorry Derek Morgan_, he thought to himself. _Penelope will be mine and you will be alone_, he vowed to himself. He smiled wickedly and began typing.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm exhausted," JJ said as she fell into the passenger seat of Reid's car. They had spent the entire day at the hospital with her mother going through boxes of pictures. They relived many great memories and she was happy Reid had been there to share this time with her family. Jimmy being there was the only downfall. He, of course, brought up as many memories as he could that involved him and JJ dating, and she could tell it was wearing on Spencer.

"Maybe you'll feel better after dinner. We could always come back again tonight," Reid offered with a slight smile.

"No, I think I would rather just relax at the hotel tonight," JJ answered. "We can order a pizza and a movie," she suggested. "Thank you so much for everything today. I know it wasn't the most comfortable situation, meeting my family with my mother dying, and Jimmy trying his best to make things uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about me JJ," he answered. "I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you…if you want me," he said starting the car. JJ put her hand on the steering wheel to stop him from pulling out of the parking spot.

"I want you Spence," she said quietly and leaned over and kissed him. The kiss was soft and loving, and long enough to let him know that she really meant it. Although he could have kissed her all night, he gently pulled away from her and smiled all the way back to the hotel.

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Reid was nervous. Although he was relatively comfortable with JJ, and around her every day, the idea of being alone in a hotel room watching a movie was really making him panic. She had stopped by her room to change clothes when they got back from the hospital and to order the pizza. _I'm going to change into something more comfortable_, she had said. He had heard that line in movies and it always meant the woman was putting on a skimpy outfit. It also meant she had expectations from him. He wasn't sure how to handle those expectations. He knew any moment she would be knocking on the door and as he looked around he realized the only place in the tiny room to watch a movie would be from the bed. He pictured himself on the bed with JJ, scantily clad, and the idea was nerve-wracking enough to make him want to vomit. Spencer Reid had never been, and would never be, smooth and confident like Morgan and he really didn't know how to handle the situation. He was so lost in his thoughts he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock on the door. He slowly opened the door, but had to laugh when he saw JJ standing outside in footie pajamas that covered her from neck to toes holding the pizza.

"Delivery," she said with a smile. Although she was not in the best place emotionally, she had still made an effort to put Spencer at ease. She slid past him and plopped down on the bed.

"So what are we watching," she asked eagerly.

"Well, there really isn't much available to order here," he answered nervously. "We have a horror movie, an FBI flick," he said laughing, "or a romantic comedy."

"I vote for the chick flick," she said with a smile. "I could use a little cheering up!"

Spencer ordered the movie and sad down on the bed next to JJ. She moved back and positioned the pillows so they could sit up with their backs against the headboard. She could tell Reid was terrified and unsure of what to expect. She wanted to make him feel at ease but also enjoyed how nervous she could make him. The movie started and they were busy eating their pizza, but after they were finished she took the pizza away and turned off the light. When she returned to her spot on the bed she was surprised that Spencer put his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. She leaned up to kiss him, but he gently put his hand up to stop her before she reached his mouth.

"JJ, I think we should talk about what is going on here," he said quietly. "I'm crazy about you; I think you know I've been crazy about you for a long time. I feel like this is happening because you need comfort after everything that has happened," he said looking away. "It's understandable and even though part of me is screaming just to go with this, the other part of me knows it isn't fair to take advantage."

She started to protest but he stopped her again. "JJ, if your mother was healthy and you hadn't been forced to use your weapon, would you be lying on a bed kissing me," he asked sadly. He really didn't want to hear her answer, but he knew the question had to be asked.

"No Spence, I probably wouldn't be here with you," she said quietly. He didn't look at all surprised by her answer, but hurt nonetheless. "But, that doesn't mean it isn't where I would want to be," she said and pressed her mouth into his. He tried to pull away for a moment and then gave into what he had been dreaming about for so long. He returned the kiss and pulled her on top of him. It felt wonderful holding her as she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him more forcefully. He rolled her over onto her back and it only took one quick zip and the footie pajamas were off.

"JJ, you are so beautiful," he said, unable to stop staring at her. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Shut up Spence," she said playfully as she pulled him on top of her. She managed to pull his clothes off of him almost as quickly as he had done with hers and they stared into each others eyes for a long moment before surrendering to what they both so desperately needed.

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**Ok, this is my first fanfic so obviously I've been excited and writing a lot lately! I'm not sure if I'll be able to update again this week but I'll try. I hope you are all enjoying!**


	9. Chapter 9

Garcia was packing up her belongings from Morgan's apartment. They were trying out an alternating schedule between their places and she was feeling relieved to be heading back to her own little apartment. Morgan's apartment was nice enough, but she missed all of her trinkets and the bright colors which made her so happy. _How in the world could we ever live together_, she wondered to herself. _Our tastes are so different_. She stopped and shook her head, trying to get the idea of living together to leave her mind. They had only been together for a few days! _Slow down girl_, she thought to herself with a laugh.

She was finishing packing when suddenly the laptop on Morgan's desk began beeping. She walked over and saw an instant message had appeared on the screen. She truly wasn't trying to snoop but before she could stop herself she was reading the message.

"I hope you take me up on my offer and blow off that new girlfriend tonight baby. I'll be at our spot at 6:30 in case you change your mind," she read aloud. Panic and jealousy came over here like a wave. She remembered the rock from the night before and the angry note. _How many women had Derek been dating_, she wondered.

Garcia suddenly felt guilty and stepped back from the computer. First she shouldn't have read his personal message. She of all people should know to stay away from other's computers. Second, Derek had assured her that she was the only woman he was interested in. It didn't matter how many girls wanted him. She knew that there would always be plenty of women lusting after Derek Morgan. That was just something she would have to get used to if things were going to work between them.

"Trust him," she whispered to herself as the door opened. Derek walked into the room, dropped his bag on the couch, and immediately pulled her into a kiss. Suddenly all of the worry, jealousy, and guilt disappeared.

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Morgan and Garcia had arrived back at her apartment and were unpacking groceries. He had planned to make her a special dinner and she was honestly nervous. Derek wasn't much of a cook and she could only imagine what the result would taste like.

Suddenly his phone began to vibrate and he flipped it open. A strange look crossed his face as he was obviously reading a text message. He fiddled with his phone for a moment, returning the message, as she moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. Negative thoughts and suspicion were rising in her but she turned away, determined to squash this jealousy before it got out of hand.

"I'm sorry baby girl," he said quietly, moving into the room and approaching the couch. "I need to run back to the office for a few minutes. We'll have to do a late dinner tonight. I'm sorry."

"Do you want me to come along," she asked, standing up from the couch and reaching for her jacket.

"No, no baby. Stay here. I won't be too long," he said and kissed her on the top of her head before he walked out the door.

Garcia sat back down on the couch in a state of shock. She looked over at the clock and the time read 6:30. Her temper was boiling. She was angry at Derek. She was sure he was going to meet the woman who had sent the instant message. She was also angry with herself for believing he would truly love her. She picked up a troll doll from the shelf next to her and threw it across the room in anger, then put her head in her hands and began to cry.

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"Thanks a lot Kevin," Morgan muttered to himself. "Why would he need my help with anything? I don't know squat about computers." He was pulling into the parking structure at Quantico wishing he were still at Garcia's making dinner. She had offered to come along to the office and he knew she would have been a much bigger help than he would be, but the last thing he wanted to do was make Kevin feel any worse by seeing the two of them together. _The poor guy already had enough of Garcia and I shoved down his throat in the past 24 hours_, he thought to himself.

As he maneuvered into a parking spot and stepped out of his car he felt his phone vibrate once again. He read the message from Kevin stating he had figured out the problem and not to come in to the office. Derek threw his hands into the air in frustration. _Well, at least I can get back to my girl now_, he thought to himself as he got back into the car and headed home.

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Kevin had Garcia's computer monitoring the cameras in the parking garage. He laughed to himself when he saw how frustrated Morgan seemed. He wasn't sure that Garcia had read the instant message he had sent, but he was hopefully that all was playing out as planned.

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Garcia had pulled herself together and decided there must be a logical explanation for why Derek left. She was still sitting on the couch, staring at the door when it opened and he was back into her apartment. She glanced at the clock and saw the time read 6:55. She thought to herself that 25 minutes wasn't enough time to meet another woman, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that baby," he said as he pulled her off the couch and into a tight embrace. "Now let me get started on that dinner."

She pulled herself in even tighter against his chest and buried her face in his shirt. "I love you Derek," she said looking up at him with pleading eyes. "You and only you. I need to know you feel the same way about me."

He pushed her away gently and held her at arms length so he could look into her eyes. "Penelope Garcia, you are the only woman in my life. I promise you that. If this is about the rock and the note last night I am truly sorry. But I swear to you that it's only you, Goddess. There isn't anyone else." She had tears in her eyes and he softly ran his hand down her face. "Please don't worry," he whispered. "You can trust me."

She fell into his arms and took a deep breath. _Let it go Garcia_, she thought to herself. Although movies rarely ended with the computer geek landing the hot stud, this was real life and he loved her.


	10. Chapter 10

JJ opened her eyes and saw Reid's side of the bed was empty. She rolled over and found him pacing nervously in front of the bed, already showered and dressed.

"Good morning, JJ," he said quickly. "I wasn't sure what you wanted for breakfast so I ordered a variety." She looked over at the door and saw a huge tray covered with an assortment of breakfast foods. Reid was hopping around like a hyper little boy not sure where to focus his energy.

"Mmmm, come back to bed Spence," she muttered rolling back over and covering her head with a pillow. For a brief moment she had forgotten about shooting Garcia's attacker and her mother's illness. Suddenly it all came back in a flash of memories and she sat up quickly in the bed, wrapping a sheet around her body.

"I'll jump in the shower and we should head to the hospital," she said. "I want to spend a full day with my mother. She seemed pretty good yesterday, didn't you think," she asked without expecting a response. She walked to the bathroom with the sheet still wrapped around her and then seemed to change her mind and looked back at him. She crossed the room to where he was standing and planted a solid kiss on his mouth. "Good morning Spence," she smiled and dropped her sheet with a giggle as she ran to the bathroom.

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The entire day was spent at the hospital. Jimmy didn't make an appearance, giving plenty of opportunity for Reid to have quality time with JJ and her parents. He was impressed by the connection the three seemed to share. With his own father leaving and his mother's illness, he had never experienced the type of support and closeness JJ had with her family. Her mother was in high spirits early in the day, but early evening she began to fail.

"I think your mother needs some rest sweetie," JJ's father said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Why don't you kids head back to the hotel for the night?"

JJ saw the worried expression on her father's face and shook her head. "Dad," she whispered, "I don't want you to go through this alone." Tears welled up in Reid's eyes as he saw JJ's obvious pain. He glanced over at her mother who locked eyes with Reid and glanced between JJ and the door, indicating she wanted some time alone with her husband.

"JJ, I think we should really get something to eat," he said quietly. "We can bring something back for you sir," he said to JJ's father. JJ shot a hesitant look at her father who gave Reid a small smile.

"That's a great idea Spencer," he said. "I would love if you would bring me something to eat."

JJ kissed her mother before they walked out the door. Spencer took another look at JJ's mother who mouthed "Thank you," and smiled as he steered JJ out of the room.

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JJ and Reid ate dinner at a nearby Sports Bar and had a few drinks before they headed back to the hospital. Spencer actually had one drink in the time it took JJ to pound five. She held his hand across the table and tried to keep up conversation, but he knew by her lack of appetite for anything but alcohol that she was hurting. He kept thinking of JJ's father and thinking what it would be like marry your true love only to lose her when they still had so many plans for their future. The idea made him shudder as he couldn't imagine being so lucky to have JJ as wife to begin with, and then to lose her would be unbearable.

"What's wrong Spence," JJ asked noticing his shoulders shake. "Is it cold in here?"

"I was just thinking JJ. I was thinking about what it would be like if I lost you," he said fumbling nervously with his napkin. "I, um, I love you, do you know that?" His eyes were wide and he looked absolutely terrified that he had spoken the words out loud.

"I love you too Spence," JJ replied quietly with tears in her eyes. She began to lean over the table and give him a kiss when her phone rang loudly. She looked down at the caller ID and back at Spencer. Tears immediately rolled down her face and they didn't need to answer the phone to know what had happened.


	11. Chapter 11

Morgan was whistling and obviously quite happy as he approached his desk the next morning. Kevin glared at him wondering why his plan hadn't worked. Morgan surely wouldn't be in such a good mood if he and Penelope had an argument.

_Maybe I need to explore another angle_, he thought to himself with a smile. Being around Penelope's things all day had made him want her even more. Kevin was quite aware that he was crossing a dangerous line, but at the moment he didn't care. He picked up one of her trinkets and pressed it against his face, breathing deeply and trying to find any hint of her scent. _We are going to be so happy together Penelope,_ he thought to himself.

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Garcia was tidying up her kitchen when the telephone rang. The caller ID indicated it was a BAU extension so she answered happily, "Do you miss me already stud muffin," she asked with a giggle.

"Um, Penelope, this is Kevin Lynch," he said nervously.

_Shit_, she thought to herself, feeling guilty for putting Kevin in another uncomfortable situation.

"Sorry Kevin. What can I do for you?"

"I know you aren't supposed to be in the office, but I'm really having problems with one of the systems. Is there any way you could come up here and help me for a few minutes," he asked.

"Isn't it something I can do remotely," she questioned.

"It would be most helpful to me if you could come up here and show me in person. I would really appreciate it Penelope," he said quietly.

"Ok, I'll come up there. Wait," she stopped. "There is no way Morgan is going to let me go into the office. He's on Garcia Patrol and I know he wouldn't be happy if I stopped by, even for a few minutes." Kevin sensed the annoyance in her voice and smiled to himself.

"Don't worry about Agent Morgan. If I can get him out of the office for an hour or so will you help me," he asked her carefully.

"Sure, I'm in," Garcia said with a smile.

Already sneaking around and keeping secrets, Kevin thought to himself with a smile. This might be easier than I thought!

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Kevin walked into the bullpen and found Morgan still smiling and whistling happily. It annoyed Kevin to see this man so content. He flashed back to the image of Penelope and Morgan kissing in the parking garage and he clenched his fists. He knew that Penelope deserved better and that Morgan was only going to hurt her. He had been telling himself this over and over, attempting to justify the actions he planned to take.

"Agent Morgan," Kevin said shyly, "The Fredericksburg PD called and they have a situation. They need an agent from the BAU to come down for a consult immediately."

"Why did they call you," Morgan questioned. "Typically they would call JJ's line or one of us directly."

"Um, I guess the tech down there knows Penelope and gave the detectives her number," he said nervously.

Morgan nodded his head. Garcia was friends with most of the local police techs so that made sense.

"Ok, do you have the name and number of the person I'm supposed to call?"

"Um, actually I didn't think to take all that down. The person just said that Detective Johnson was requesting that you drive down to meet with him over lunch," Kevin said nervously. He was really hoping this would work. He had been moping around the office for two days, trying to make Morgan feel guilty. Kevin wasn't a profiler but knew enough about human behavior to guess that Morgan would avoid any unnecessary conversation or conflict with him in an attempt to mend fences.

"OK Kevin. I'll head down there. Thanks," Morgan said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Kevin watched him pack up his things and once Morgan left the office Kevin went to work on making some unnecessary changes to Garcia's computer system.

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An hour later Garcia received another call from Kevin.

"He's out of the office Penelope. Agent Morgan had a lunch date, er…lunch appointment, so everything worked out just fine," Kevin said happily. "Will you help me?"

Garcia frowned for a moment at word "date" and tried to shake it off. She had never been the type of girl to be jealous and it was starting to upset her. _Was this instinct_, she questioned herself. She wondered for a moment if this was the voice in her head she should have been listening to when she accepted a date with the man who then shot her.

"Penelope, are you still there" Kevin asked. Her silence indicated that his phrasing had struck a nerve and he smiled to himself.

"Sorry Kevin, yeah I'm on my way"

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Garcia sat at her computer for a few moments and immediately found the problem Kevin had described. With a few keystrokes she announced, "Ta da, all should be working now. I'm surprised you couldn't figure this out on your own," she said questioningly, turning to look at Kevin.

"I thought that was the problem," Kevin answered, "but I always worry about messing up another person's system. I really didn't want to make any changes without clearing it through you first."

Garcia smiled. At least she could be sure that her system wouldn't be edited and changed when she got back to work the following week. She glanced over on the table and noticed a stack of old records on the chair next to Kevin's jacket.

"Oh, what do we have here," she asked playfully and picked a few records off the stack. "These are great! Some of my favorites", she said with a laugh. "You know, I never would have picked you for a Dropkick Murphy's fan," she smiled holding up a record.

Kevin smiled broadly inwardly but tried to keep his expression more neutral for Penelope. _Silly girl_, he thought to himself, _all I had to do was check out the music in your iTunes folder. I can be a fan of anything you want me to be_.

"I wish we had a record player here. Nobody is around so we could have a party," he exclaimed.

They were both laughing when Morgan stepped off the elevator, clearly annoyed. He had driven to Fredericksburg only to find out that there wasn't a Detective Johnson and he couldn't find anyone who needed a consult. He had tried to call Kevin but the tech wasn't answering his phone. "What a waste of time", he muttered to himself. "Kevin Lynch needs to learn to take better messages." Suddenly he snapped around, convinced he had heard his Goddess's laughter coming from her office. Morgan was already grumpy, and the thought of Garcia working rather than resting made his bad mood escalate. He stormed around the corner and found Garcia and Kevin sitting side-by-side reading the back of a record together.

"Excuse me," he said loudly. "What the hell do you think you are doing here," he asked. He looked at Kevin with fire in his eyes and then back to Garcia.

"Kevin needed my help," Garcia said curtly. Derek was obviously very angry and although she knew a fight wasn't going to fix anything, she was secretly happy she had made him mad. "And now I'm going home," she announced and walked past Morgan without another word. She hesitated for a moment and then turned back around. Morgan was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed defensively across his chest.

"Thanks Kevin," she said cheerily. "I had fun." She turned back and walked away shooting daggers at Morgan with her eyes before she shut the door.

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Garcia was pacing around her apartment, still fuming when Morgan stormed through the door.

"What are you doing here," she gasped. "Shouldn't you be finishing your lunch date," she asked sarcastically.

"Ok, I don't know what you are talking about. I wasn't on any lunch date, I was in Fredericksburg on a wild goose chase Kevin sent me on," he said with annoyance. "This is not about me," he said angrily, "This is about you, going into work to hang out when you should be at home resting." His voice was escalating so he looked away from her and took a deep breath. He tried to calm himself down; the last thing he wanted was to yell at the woman he loved.

She was staring at him, still furious. "I saw the message from your girlfriend on your computer yesterday," she shrieked. "The woman you met last night! Is that who you had a lunch date with today?"

Morgan turned back around and stared at her in disbelief. He never would have pegged Garcia for the irrationally jealous type. "What were you doing checking my messages," he asked slowly.

"That doesn't matter, answer the question," she screamed. Tears were welling up in her eyes and the last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry. She turned around and faced the wall.

"I'm not doing this Garcia. I have told you I love you and have promised to be faithful. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life trying to prove myself. If you can't trust me – I'm out."

She gasped aloud, shocked at what he had said. She turned around to reply but only saw the door closing behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

The past three days were a blur for JJ. She pulled herself together and took charge of planning the funeral. Reid wasn't surprised at how she kept her composure. After all, he had seen her deal with extremely difficult situations at work without wavering. But this was different, this was personal, and that concerned him. He tried to be as supportive as possible and help her with the details, but she needed to do this on her own. She was surviving by taking charge.

Reid was sitting on the front step of her parent's house, reading a book when she sat down next to him.

"I talked to my father and he is fine with us leaving tomorrow. I think we should head back to the hotel and pack our things," she said without emotion.

Reid looked up at her with surprise. The funeral had only been the day before and he was still waiting for her to have some type of emotional release. It seemed as though she had completely shut down.

"JJ, I think maybe we should stay here a little longer. You and your father need each other," he said quietly.

"I want to go Spence. I need to get back to work." She stood up and walked inside, not giving him an opportunity to respond.

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JJ said very little on the drive back to Washington, but she seemed relieved to be back in her own apartment. Reid was pacing nervously in front of the door, unsure if she wanted him to stay or go. She was sitting on her couch and staring at a blank screen on the TV. Reid was really starting to worry about her, she looked practically catatonic.

"JJ, are you OK," he asked quietly, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "What can I do for you?"

After a moment she finally turned and looked up at him. She had felt like she was in a cloud the past few days, but looking around her apartment and the way Spence was staring at her made it all disappear. She needed human contact and needed it immediately. She stood up quickly and threw herself against him - kissing and groping with desperation. She needed to feel something real and attacking Spencer the release she desperately needed.

"Wait, JJ, wait," he gasped. She ignored his protests and slammed him against the wall. With one yank she ripped open his shirt, buttons falling on the floor. Reid looked shocked by her aggression and was still trying to push her away to talk. She pinned his arms above his head and he finally gave in to her.

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They were lying on the floor of her living room, naked and exhausted. She smiled at him and he noticed her eyes looked alert and clear for the first time in days.

"I am sorry if I scared you Spence. I didn't mean to attack you," she giggled, trying to lighten the situation. He still looked somewhat terrified and unsure of what he should be doing.

"I was expecting a major release of tears from you, not a major release of passion," he laughed and pulled her closer to him. "I love you JJ and I am here for you however you need me."

"I love you too Spence. You saved me this past week. The only reason I was able to pretend I was in control is because I knew you would catch me if I were to fall. I'm not going to say that everything with is fine with me but as long as you are here I know it will be OK."

He leaned in to kiss her when her telephone began to ring. _Why does that always happen_, he thought to himself. JJ jumped up and answered the phone. She was leaning against the kitchen counter, naked and teasing him with her eyes. Suddenly her expression turned more serious and she walked around the corner to where he couldn't see her. Reid stood up and slipped his pants back on. His shirt was ruined so he put on only his white undershirt and sat down on the couch.

"Everybody knows we're back and Garcia has drama. She is on her way over here. Something about Morgan," JJ announced, reaching on the floor for her clothes. Reid's phone then sounded and he shot JJ a look.

"Guess who," he said with a laugh as he looked at his phone.

"Hey Morgan," Reid answered. JJ studied his face as he frowned and glanced up at her. He was listening to Morgan and obviously bothered by what he was saying.

"Well I'm at JJ's and Garcia is on her way over here. Do you want me to come over to your place," he asked. "Ok, I'll see you in a few minutes."

JJ and Reid looked at each other with disappointment realizing that they would be apart for the first time in almost a week.

"Hurry back, OK," she said quietly and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Let's never fight."

"Deal," she answered with a smile and pulled him into a tight embrace.

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Garcia was sitting on JJ's couch crying hysterically. "It's been three days and he hasn't called," she sobbed. "Seriously JJ, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Ok, slow down and tell me the whole story," JJ said, rubbing her friend's back.

Garcia spilled the entire story, the nights together, profession of love, the message on the computer, the lunch date, everything. JJ was a good friend and listened to everything Garcia had to say without interrupting. However, the wheels in JJ's head were spinning. Something seemed off about the entire scenario but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She wished Spence were there. She was confident he would pick up on whatever was wrong with this story. _Hopefully he's having more luck with Morgan than I am with Garcia_, she thought to herself as Garcia began crying uncontrollably again.

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"Wait, hold on," Reid interrupted his friend. Morgan had been explaining the same story to Reid that JJ had just heard. "Did you ever hear back from the detective in Fredericksburg? What was the case," he asked. Morgan shook his head and gave Reid a strange look.

"I don't know how I missed that," Morgan said quietly. He rubbed his hand over his head and began to pace. "If there had really been a situation, the detective would have called back. So Kevin made up the story, that's why the entire Fredericksburg PD seemed confused when I showed up. But why would Kevin do that," he started and then stopped talking and looked at Reid.

"Because he wants Garcia," Reid replied waiting for his friend's reaction. This was a really bad situation. Garcia had been through so much in the past few weeks. What were the odds that two crazy guys were both after her at the same time, Reid wondered.

"So Kevin set me up to go to Fredericksburg and called Garcia to come to the office," Morgan mused. "He wanted to get her alone, but he knew I would come back, so I don't understand the whole point of this."

"Garcia mentioned that you were on a lunch date," Reid stated. "Is it possible that Kevin told her that? He would have known how long it would take you to get back from Fredericksburg so he probably timed it so she would still be in the office when you returned."

Morgan kept pacing and thinking about that day. "That doesn't explain everything. I always thought Garcia was a strong, confident woman. If Kevin told her I was on a date she should have just blown it off as a misunderstanding. It's the jealousy that really pissed me off Reid. She was acting completely irrationally and I can't handle that kind of drama in my life. Man, she read my emails!"

"Who was the email from," Reid questioned.

"I'm not sure. I looked at my computer and she must have deleted it because it wasn't there. It doesn't seem like Garcia to delete a message, but I never would have guessed she would read my messages in the first place so I guess I shouldn't put it past her."

"Something is wrong here," Reid quietly responded. "This doesn't feel right and it definitely doesn't sound like Garcia. You need to talk to her. The two of you need to work this out. You've both wanted this for way too long to just let it slip away."

"Kind of like you and JJ," Morgan smirked, "Are you ever going tell her how you feel?" Morgan's mouth dropped open as he watched Reid turn red and begin to fidget nervously. "You told her," he said in disbelief. "How did it go?"

"No, this isn't about me, this is about you," Reid squeaked. "Stay focused," he shouted at his friend, causing Morgan to double over with laughter.

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Garcia was driving home when her cell phone rang.

"Hello," she answered with a sniffle.

"Hi Penelope, its Kevin Lynch. I was wondering if you would like to get together for dinner tonight."

"Oh, I'm sorry Kevin, but I've had a really rough couple of days and I'm just going to stay home with a movie. But thanks for the offer," she said as she quickly hung up the phone.

"What nerve," she said aloud. "For all he knows I'm having dinner with Derek tonight!"

Although a part of her would have liked to go to dinner with Kevin, she was not about to make another date just to get back at Morgan. That backfired the first time and she wasn't about to make that mistake twice!

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Kevin stared at the phone in disbelief. She had rejected him! Penelope had rejected him! He became angry and knocked a plate off the table in front of him. He had seen Derek Morgan the past few days – angry and grumpy and first day and depressed and sad the following day. He had imagined what their fight was like and pictured Penelope throwing Derek out, vowing to never date a womanizer again. So why would she reject him now?

"You will be mine Penelope, whether you like it or not," he growled.

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"Why would Kevin ask me out," Garcia said into the telephone. "Don't you think that's weird since he thinks I'm dating Derek?"

"Yes, I do think it's strange," JJ said, smiling and silently motioning for Reid to come into the apartment. He sat down quietly and didn't say anything as she continued her phone conversation. "Kevin would have no way of knowing you and Morgan broke up, so for him to ask you out, well he is either really brave or really stupid," JJ laughed.

Reid looked at JJ with confusion. Suddenly everything began to come together in his mind. All the misunderstandings, mixed messages, they were all a result of Kevin. Morgan mentioned that Kevin had called him into the office after work and Garcia had thought he was meeting someone. Garcia saw a message which Morgan never saw, and Kevin had the computer expertise to hack into any system. Now Kevin had asked her out….this was just way too much coincidence.

"Where is Garcia," Reid asked JJ with a serious look in his eyes.

JJ covered the phone and shot Reid a confused look. "She's in the car on her way home," JJ whispered.

"Tell her to come back over here, right now. I need to talk to her," Reid said firmly.


	13. Chapter 13

Reid was sitting on the couch with Garcia, listening to her side of the story. Her version was just different enough from Morgan's to verify his hunch that all the confusion and jealousy had been spawned by Kevin Lynch. Lynch had been in their office, on Garcia's system, and had access to all her personal information – including the password to the encrypted file. _Is this guy just playing games or could he be dangerous?_ Although Reid's instinct told him that Lynch wasn't a physical threat, with the trauma Garcia had recently experienced it was best to err on the side of caution. He had insisted that she stay the night at JJ's apartment, stressing that it would be good for both girls to have some company. JJ had shot him a look of confusion when he mentioned it, but they hadn't discussed if they were going to share their relationship with the team and he didn't think this was the right time for Garcia to hear about their happiness.

"I talked to Morgan today," Reid said quietly once she had finished. "Garcia, I think there is a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding between the two of you. Obviously you are very much in love with him and I can tell you he feels the same way about you. You need to sit down and talk this out. No fighting - just a rational discussion."

"He doesn't want to talk to me," Garcia whispered. "He told me he was 'out' and walked away from me." She put her head down and began to quietly cry.

Reid was in a difficult situation. Morgan had told him things in confidence and now Garcia was doing the same. He really wasn't comfortable interfering but felt it might be necessary in this situation. He glanced up at JJ who recognized his conflicted expression. She walked over to him and gently squeezed his shoulder.

Garcia saw the silent exchange between her two friends. In an instant she knew something had happened. It was so obvious that even in her emotionally distraught state she could recognize the change.

"Oh my gosh," she exclaimed. "The two of you finally got together!" JJ immediately snatched her hand away from Reid's shoulder and they distanced themselves.

"Um, what are you talking about Garcia," Reid's voice cracked. He looked around nervously for JJ who had fled the room and was fumbling around in the kitchen. _Thanks a lot JJ_, he thought to himself. He looked nervously at Garcia and for one of only a few times in his life - he didn't know what to say!

"I can see it. I know you guys are together and I think it is wonderful. I'm so happy for you!"

"Garcia, I know this is bad timing. We didn't want to gloat in front of you with all you have been through, but yes, Spence and I are together," JJ said as she reappeared from the kitchen. She sat next to Garcia on the couch and took her hand. She knew Garcia would be happy for them, but it would also make her sad knowing that she had also found love only to have it quickly disappear.

Reid looked at JJ with surprise. He couldn't believe she had actually said those words out loud. Although they had spent the past week together and had confessed their love to one another, keeping the relationship a secret made it somehow seem like a dream he would wake up from any moment. JJ's sharing of their news with Garcia made him happier than he ever could have imagined – now it seemed real. He reached over and grabbed her free hand, kissing it softly with tears shining in his eyes.

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Morgan walked into the bullpen and everyone immediately looked down at their desks. His expression was one of anger and frustration. Even to Emily, who was out of the loop regarding the past week's events, it was obvious he was not up for small talk. Garcia walked into the office a few minutes later, trying to sneak in without being noticed.

"Welcome back Garcia," Emily shouted from her desk. Hotch and Rossi walked out of a conference room to welcome her. Everyone surrounded her, giving hugs and asking her how she was feeling. Emily glanced back and noticed that only Morgan had not stood to greet Garcia. As she turned to look at Morgan a space opened in the crowd, placing Garcia directly in Morgan's line of sight. He locked eyes with her. Their stare was intense and obvious enough for the crowd to slowly back off, leaving them to look at each other from across the room. Morgan was torn. He wanted to run to her, pull her into his arms, and tell her that they could work through everything. However he still felt betrayed by her overreaction. _Fuck it_, he thought to himself, _I've waited too long for this to let her slip away. We can work through this. _He stood up quickly, knocking over his chair and sauntered toward her.

Garcia felt passion and love in his stare and for a moment she believed that everything was going to be OK. He was approaching her and it took every ounce of self control not to charge him and fall into his arms. His eyes were giving all of his feelings away and she smiled at him, inviting him to come closer. He was only inches away, inches from stopping all of the pain and hurt when he was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"Penelope," Kevin said loudly. "I am going to clear all of my things out of your office."

Garcia spun around, breaking eye contact with Morgan for a moment before quickly looking back at him. Her eyes were searching for his, trying to regain the connection they had just shared, but it was lost. His expression had hardened and he walked past her and toward Kevin. There was a look of hatred in his eyes as he approached Kevin Lynch. Reid was standing nearby and saw the anger and determination in his friend's face. He quickly stepped in front of him and tried to block Morgan from confronting the tech.

"Calm down Morgan," Reid said nervously, putting his hands on Morgan's shoulders. Morgan quickly batted Reid's hands away and with one punch laid Kevin Lynch out on the floor.

There was chaos in the BAU. Hotch, Reid, and Rossi pulled Morgan off before he could land a second punch. Garcia screamed and ran to Kevin, who was lying on the floor holding his already bloody nose. It was a disaster and probably the worst possible thing that could have happened the first day the team was back together.

"What the hell is wrong with you," Garcia shouted at Morgan. "This is not Kevin's fault. You're an ass," she said while trying to help Kevin into an upright position. Tears began to stream down her face but Morgan felt no guilt for what he had done. He locked eyes with her again, mentally pleading for her to come to him.

"Baby girl, let me explain, Kevin made up a case for me in -" he started only to be yanked away by Rossi and Hotch.

"My office now," Hotch said angrily as he pulled Morgan away, again breaking his eye visual connection with Garcia.

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Reid approached Kevin, who was milking every second of the attention he was receiving from Garcia and Emily.

"I think you better get out of here man, Morgan isn't the only person who is angry with you." He was trying to muster up the meanest expression he possibly could, which made JJ burst into laughter from across the room. He shot her a playfully annoyed look and turned back to Kevin.

"Seriously, get your stuff out of Garcia's office and leave. I'm on to you. I know everything you have done. You're lucky I'm giving you this head start because once Morgan knows the whole story you will be thinking this little bloody nose wasn't so bad."

Kevin glanced around nervously and scurried over to Penelope's office without looking back. Although Spencer Reid was far from intimidating, the idea of taking multiple punches from Morgan was enough to terrify anyone.

"What is going on," Garcia asked as Reid grabbed her hand and pulled her across the room.

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"You are out of control Derek," Hotch said angrily, pacing in front of Morgan who was seated at the table looking down at his hands. Morgan didn't speak, so Hotch continued, "If you don't start talking now I have no option but to suspend you indefinitely."

He was interrupted by a quiet knock at the door and Reid entered the room, pulling Garcia by her hand. Her expression was a combination of anger, hurt, and confusion.

"You two need to talk this out and get everything in the open," Reid said in an authoritative tone. It sounded so unlike him that he turned around for a moment to see if someone else had spoken the words he had been thinking. "This is all a big misunderstanding, with a little meddling from another tech, and it needs to end right now."


	14. Chapter 14

"Reid, Garcia, OUT," Hotch barked and pointed toward the door. There had been enough commotion at the BAU already, the last thing he needed was to bring another two people into it. 

"Hotch, please, hear me out," Reid started. "Morgan, tell us about the call you had from the Fredericksburg PD." He motioned for Garcia to sit down and took the chair next to her.

All eyes were on Morgan, but he was only looking at Garcia. He sighed deeply and explained how Kevin had given him a message about a case in Fredericksburg but when he arrived at the office, none of the detectives knew about any case. Kevin hadn't answered when Morgan called him for more information so he returned to the BAU. Penelope was in her office with Kevin, talking about music when she was supposed to be at home resting. She was angry with him, he was angry with her, and they both snapped. 

Reid was studying Garcia's expression through the story and he could see that she was putting this all together in her mind. When Morgan finished the story, Hotch looked at Reid as if to ask the point of it all.

"But the Fredericksburg PD never called back about their consult," Reid jumped in. "If there had been a case they would have called back. I also looked into all cases in Fredericksburg over the past few months and nothing out of the ordinary occurred to warrant a BAU consult."

"So Kevin made up a story. Strange, I admit, but that doesn't justify punching him," Rossi piped in from across the room. "There is more to this," he said and all eyes turned to Garcia.

"Kevin called me and needed help with a problem in my system," she began quietly. "I told him Morgan wouldn't let me back in the office until I recovered, but he said it wasn't something I could do remotely. He called back a little while later and said Morgan had left the office for a lunch date and asked if I would sneak in and help him." Garcia and Morgan were staring at each other from across the room. "I'm sorry," she said in a voice barely over a whisper. "I know I overreacted and acted like a jealous lunatic rather than just believing in you."

Hotch and Rossi exchanged a knowing look, finally understanding the root of Morgan's rage.

"But there is more," Reid interjected. "Garcia, be honest, did you delete the message Morgan received on his computer at home?"

"No," Garcia blushed. She looked over at Rossi and Hotch with embarrassment. How awful to relive this with them in the room! "I didn't delete it, I felt guilty enough for reading it. I swear I wasn't even trying to snoop," she turned her attention to Morgan, "Your laptop started beeping so I walked over to see what was going on. There was an instant message asking you to ditch me and meet someone at 'your spot' at 6:30 that night. I was only concerned for a split second when I first read the message Derek, but along with the rock through the window and you taking off at the exact time the message requested…well…when Kevin mentioned a date, I just lost it. It was all too much for me to ignore," She was looking at her hands, cheeks red, and tears in her eyes.

"Garcia, I don't have a clue who that message would have been from. I'm serious baby girl, I really don't know. I don't have a 'spot' with anyone! I went into the office because Kevin needed my help; but then he sent me a text after I was already here saying he fixed his problem so I turned around and went back to your place. Baby, the only reason I didn't bring you with me was because we had already made Kevin so uncomfortable the previous day and I felt bad for the guy," Morgan answered. He glanced over at Hotch, who wasn't showing any reaction. At this point Morgan was less worried about the consequences of punching Kevin than he was about making up with his girl.

"Morgan doesn't know who would send the text message and Garcia didn't delete it – but it's no longer on his system. That leads me to believe that Kevin sent the message and hacked in to delete it before Morgan returned home," Reid stated, obviously proud of himself.

"But how would Kevin know I was at Derek's place and would read it," Garcia questioned still skeptical of the idea that Kevin Lynch could be so conniving.

"He probably just took a chance that you would be around Garcia," Hotch chipped in. "Anyone would know that when a computer started beeping you would check to see what is wrong."

Morgan stood up and walked over to where Garcia was sitting. He pulled her tight into his chest and she began to cry. He glanced over at Hotch and pleaded with his eyes, gesturing toward the door. Hotch reluctantly nodded for Reid and Rossi to leave, but turned back and mouthed _we're not finished, _to Morgan before he walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed Morgan sat down next to her and buried his face into her hair.

"I'm so sorry baby girl. I shouldn't have walked out on you; I should have known there had to be an explanation for all of this. I overreacted and am I so sorry."

Garcia lifted her head and saw he had tears in his eyes. She leaned up to kiss him but he stopped her before their lips met.

"Goddess, can we forget all of this and start over," he asked.

Garcia pondered this for a moment and shook her head no. "I don't want to start over. I don't ever want to forget how miserable I was when I thought I had lost you. I want to cherish every moment we have together and be thankful that you are mine. I really do trust you Derek, and I promise that next time something bothers me I will talk to you about it rather than let it boil up inside. And I - ", she began but he cut her off with a kiss. It was slow at first but quickly escalated to a kiss much deeper than appropriate for the workplace. He spun her chair around so she was facing him and pulled her up and into his lap. She was straddling him while he ran his fingers through her hair. He moved down, kissing her all around her throat and neck.

Kevin exited the elevator and walked back into the BAU. He wasn't about to let Morgan win this. Penelope belonged with him and he was determined to fight for her. He rounded the corner and saw Agents Reid and Jareau whispering to each other and looking toward a conference room. He stomped over to the door and was reaching for the handle when he felt a strong grip on the back of his neck.

"Hacking into a federal laptop, presenting an agent with false information…charges like that could kill your career," Rossi whispered into his ear. Kevin's back stiffened as he realized his little game was more serious than he had thought.

"But I really do like her," Kevin protested. "And I would be better for her than Agent Morgan!" Rossi, still gripping his neck, turned Kevin so he was facing the conference room windows. He saw his Penelope on top of Morgan, they were kissing and groping and both looked almost blissful.

"That isn't for you to decide Mr. Lynch. Garcia has made her choice." Rossi spun him around to look in his eyes. "How about we forget about everything that has happened and you request a transfer to a field office somewhere on the west coast as soon as you get back to your desk? You never contact anyone in the BAU ever again, and we pretend this never happened?"

Kevin gulped, realizing this was a better option than having to explain his behavior to his superiors and much better than dealing with the wrath of Agent Morgan. Kevin nodded in agreement to Rossi and walked away. As the elevator doors closed, he closed his eyes and tried to accept the idea that he may never see Penelope again.

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Garcia and Derek were still kissing and groping in the conference room. After all that had happened they were kissing with desperation and need unlike they had ever felt before.

"Derek," she moaned, "I want you right now."

Suddenly they heard someone clearing his throat in the doorway and Garcia jumped off of him. Hotch was impatiently glaring at them both and announced, "This isn't over."

Hotch sat down across the table from Garcia and Morgan who tried slid their chairs apart to an acceptable distance. Garcia's hair was a disaster and Morgan's shirt was no longer tucked in, but they attempted to show composure.

"Rossi convinced Kevin not to report the attack and we agreed not to go after him for hacking into your laptop and giving you false information regarding a case."

Garcia and Morgan looked at each other and both sighed with relief. Things were really turning around. "Hotch," Morgan began. "I'm sorry. I know I was out of line bringing personal business into the office. It won't happen again."

"I try not to involve myself in the personal lives of my agents, but you two have left me with very little choice," Hotch stated glaring back and forth at them. "I need your word that this relationship will not, in any way, interfere with your ability to do your jobs." They both nodded quickly but Hotch continued, "Garcia, if Morgan is put in a dangerous situation in the field, you need to keep your cool and stay out of it." Garcia blinked and nodded in agreement. "Morgan, you need to concentrate on your job rather than worrying about Garcia and what she will think of what you are doing." Morgan nodded back at his boss. "Absolutely no fighting in the office. If you are having a disagreement, keep it out of here. And affection in the office is not acceptable. I never again want to walk in on what I saw just now," Hotch said finally cracking a small smile. He stood up, walked around the table, and put an arm around each of them. "I've known your feelings for a long time and I'm really glad you finally have admitted everything to each other. Now get out of here and act upset so the team thinks I was extra hard on you." They all laughed as Derek and Penelope walked out hand-in-hand.

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Morgan and Garcia were snuggled against each other in a dark movie theatre. There was a sudden explosion of horror movie sound effects and she jumped in her seat. Suddenly popcorn covered them both and they looked over to see a terrified Reid practically sitting in JJ's lap with his popcorn tub in the air. JJ rolled her eyes and tried comfort Spencer. He then noticed everyone staring at him and attempted to regain his composure by adjusting himself in his seat. Garcia laughed and snuggled in closer to Morgan, her love. She looked off in the distance for a moment and then leaned up to whisper in Morgan's ear.

"One thing I can't figure out, why did Kevin throw the rock through your window that first night?"

Morgan gave her a sly smile. "Mmmm, baby girl, I don't think that was Kevin. I had taken a girl out a few weeks prior and promised to call…but I never really got around to it," he whispered.

"You are just so irresistible, who could blame her," Garcia asked playfully, leaning up to give him a soft kiss on the lips. JJ and Reid smiled at the happy scene and leaned in to each other. After all the drama, heartache, suspicion, and confusion they had all ended up with the people they loved – and as Reid looked around, he knew they would never take one another for granted.

**Thanks to everyone who added this to their story alerts, and to all who left so many great reviews! This was my first attempt it was fun!! **


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